100th Day Celebration

Last night we had Evann's 100th Day Celebration, mainly a family gathering to celebrated Evann's 100th day of life (as may be obvious by the title). Now, this may seem like another overly zealous "new parent" celebration, but in fact, it is actually a traditional Korean (and Chinese - though they usually celebrate 30 days) event.

So what is the meaning or importance of the 100th day celebration? Of course, I don’t really know, but made it up with partial truths (and thus partial lies) and have found the following information on the Internet:

Baek-il (100-day Celebration)
Similar to the Tol, the Baek-il event has 2 aspects. First, family members give thanks to Samsin (the three gods who take care of the baby's life while growing up). Second, they pray for jae-ak (wealth), longevity, and cho-bok (original luck). The food is different from the extensive table prepared for the Tol, mostly comprising 4 types of Korean foods: baekseogi (for longevity, representing cleanliness and freshness), susupo-ttteok (to prohibit bad things), injeolmi (for patience), and songpyeon (for thought). Admittedly, I'm not really too clear on what these foods are.

Bottom line, it’s a time to celebrate the first three months of Evann’s life. It's also a time to bring our extended family and some friends together and thank them for supporting us for the first 3 months.



My sister and brother-in-law were kind enough to offer their house to us and we had most of the food catered though my mother & father overextended themselves to ensure that there was enough food and their grandson's party was a success. It was a huge success though Mommy L and I were too busy preparing food, organizing people, BBQ'ing meat and being "Hosts Extraordinaire" to really enjoy ourselves. For us, if others enjoyed themselves and had fun then we were happy.

The weather cooperated brilliantly, it was another gorgeous day. Some friends/family arrived early to help us with preparing some dishes and some cleaning. How great is it having close friends who are family too? The value of having close friends/family is so important and we're so lucky to have such a wonderful (and huge) extended family. From my niece who is 9 to my 70-something aunt, everyone really helps out with dear little Evann.

Instead of hiring a clown (as I am scared of them), we hired a young friend from church to do some magic.

He did a great job, first doing some card tricks to keep the kids entertained (it was supposed to be for the kids though many adults enjoyed the tricks too). He had the entire "stage" when he did an amazing 30 minute show which had the audience amazed and wanting more (can't wait for Evann's future parties).

The party was suppose to wind up at 9 pm, but as it turns out, some close friends/family members stayed until midnight taking advantage of the few remaining warm summer evenings on the patio. It was only then that we (Mommy L and I as well as my sister) were really able to relax and truly enjoy first hand.

Once the party was over, we packed up the car with the loads of expected, but greatly appreciated presents. Wow, if there are any doubts whether Evann will be spoiled, those doubts have been answered with a resounding, "YES!" The generousity of our friends/family astounds me and I am truly grateful for their generousity. Evann loves all his presents.



One present, that really touched me and deserves special mention, is the pillow and quilt that my 12-year old niece sewed for Evann during "quilting camp" (no, I didn't realize that "quilting camp" existed either). It's so cute with a sports theme and dual sided. She is such a great kid, so talented and really loves Evann (and takes great care of him - as does all her family), but I can't imagine to be that considerate at that age. I still have problems sewing buttons on my shirts.

I truly feel blessed for my friends, family (both extended and now my new nuclear family), my beautiful wife who's a fantastic mother and my incredible son who is my gleam in my eye. My hope for those who read this is that you are also surrounded by loving and supportive friends and family...for those of you who know us, you know that you have that already in us. We are eternally grateful to all of you.


Now, I'd better get preparing for Evann's one year birthday because THAT'S the BIG one! Yikes!